Venus or Themis
by NessieGG
Summary: [NejiTen AU, Story 3 of the New York Society series] It seems doubtful that Neji Hyuuga, an upper level attorney, could make a relationship work with his latest client, rising arms consultant Tenten Long. It's the personal choices that make the difference
1. Now In Session

**Author's Note: **For the purposes of this story, I have given Tenten the last name of Long, the same surname she bore in my NejiTen AU "Cutting Water." Also, as in one of the tie-in fics to this _New York Society_ series, "Professional Secrets," the Sand siblings have the last name of Sands. I suppose you could think of it as my personal fanon.

This has been written for the 50 Alternates challenge, with the prompt "gun." Since it's NejiTen, I couldn't limit it to a one-shot.

Venus – Roman goddess of love.

Themis – Roman goddess of law.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and am making no profit from this fan fiction.

**Venus or Themis**

Part One: Now In Session

By Nessie

There was something to be said for a man who could turn a courtroom into a stage, complete with illusionary spotlight, and still be seen as a ball buster worthy of respect. In the legal world, that something was likely to be a string of curses. Everywhere else, it would probably fall between consideration for switching attorneys to a contemplation of how much an individual was willing to spend on one.

It wasn't that other law firms in the city of New York did not have reliable employees dedicated to the wellbeing of their clients. It was not even that other firms lacked lawyers with a knack for dominating a court.

It was simply that other firms did not have Neji Hyuuga.

"For the benefit of the jury," said a solemn voice that filled the room from the judge's chair to the back row of the gallery, "I wish to restate the events of July sixteenth, 2003. The defendant – my client – Mr. Gaara Sands was soullessly attacked on his way home from seeing his sister, the acclaimed actress Ms. Temari Sands, perform in her latest production."

Neji worked the room like a dealer worked a blackjack table; every eye was on him, and he made sure to meet each pair with his own colorless gaze. When he spoke, the jury stopped their note-scribbling and the judge (this time Judge Ibiki Morino, who was less susceptible to his power than most, but by no means immune) ceased his intermittent glancing at the wall clock.

"The three perpetrators responsible for his brutal mugging have since been caught and sentenced accordingly. Mr. Sands has known the retrieval of his wallet – but what of his pride?"

He did a three-quarter turn, facing the plaintiff's table now instead of the jury's platform. The attorney made a fine image there on the floor. His suit was flawlessly cut, slate grey in color, the shade playing well against the dark of his hair, which he wore in a long but low and well-kempt ponytail. Neji did not smile, as much from habit as from performance. He could be imposing or charming, whichever was more necessary at the moment. For now, he came off as charming that could turn to imposing whenever he wished.

"Mr. Sands was left bleeding and bruised in a dark, damp alley, presumably to die. An estimation of three thousand people passed the mouth of the alley in the three hours he lay there, unable to move but still conscious." Neji outlined the image so conveniently that he was sure every person present could see it in their mind, but instead of the redheaded man at the defendant's table, they would see a loved one – husband, daughter, cousin, mother.

Such was the masochistic tendency of the human psyche, to take a horrible event and envision it in a way that would produce self-torture. Neji knew this fact and played upon it to his advantage. "At approximately two-thirty-six in the morning," he continued prosaically, "Mr. Sands was approached by a figure shrouded in shadow, none other than the plaintiff, Mr. Shino Aburame. Suffering from blood loss and a minor concussion, Mr. Sands could have no more made out a good Samaritan in that alley than if he had been in perfect health.

"He had only instinct to guide him, instinct to end his victimization. Mr. Sands did shoot Mr. Aburame in the left arm, directly in his bicep, but this was in the self-defense Mr. Sands had been unable to utilize earlier that evening when he was outnumbered four to one." Neji's hard gaze swung back to the jury, and he appeared to be pointing without lifting a finger at Aburame's lanky form, buttoned in a coat though it was the end of summer, his left arm dangling in a sling with sunglasses hiding his eyes. The jury immediately had two thoughts – that this man certainly appeared threatening enough even in full lighting and that his eyes stood no chance of being as impressive as Neji Hyuuga's.

The black-robed judge broke in from his high seat. "That's sufficient, Mr. Hyuuga." Morino's scarred face emphasized the no-nonsense courtroom he commanded. "Have you a witness to present to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury?"

"At present, Your Honor, no." The statement was given in a way that was free of any concern yet still serious.

"Then you will relinquish the floor to Mr. Shiranui."

Neji retreated as Aburame's lawyer stood up. Returning to his seat, his cool eyes met those of his firm partner, Shikamaru Nara. If Neji was the blood of the Hyuuga & Nara law office, Shikamaru was the brains. There had been several occasions when he had managed to secure an airtight argument where Neji had not.

Shikamaru did spend time on actual cases and, more often than not, won them, but it was Neji who got them all the attention. Shikamaru simply procured the clients. And while it was not a habit of the two men to attend each of the other's cases, Shikamaru held a personal interest in this particular outcome. After all, he had been in an almost boringly steady relationship with the "acclaimed actress" Temari Sands for close to a year.

Genma Shiranui proceeded without ado. "The defense wishes to call Miss Tenten Long to the stand," he declared. The older and admittedly more experienced lawyer flicked a glance at the defendant's counsel. Neji stared right back, revealing nothing in his face.

The doors behind the gallery opened, and Neji watched as a woman walked between the flanking security officers and up the aisle. She appeared no older than he, dressed professionally yet still in fashion from her designer heels, up the folds of her flared, black skirt and dark pink blouse, to the two buns in which she wore her chocolate-brown hair. Her gait was confident, and when she arrived at the witness chair to Judge Morino's left, she graced Genma with a smile reaching all the way to her large dark eyes.

Tenten Long, Neji noted with his observer's eye, had not only the money to wear a Rolex but also a fantastic pair of legs now hidden behind the wooden panel in front of her chair.

"Miss Long," said Shiranui, initiating the questioning, "would you mind explaining, for the clarification of the court, exactly what is your profession?"

"I'm a research and development worker here in Manhattan." Her voice was pleasant, a pitch higher than Neji might have expected. He sensed a good-natured outgoingness in her; a definite clash with his own personality. He leaned back in his chair next to his client who sat as still and stony-faced as he.

"Where?" continued Shiranui.

"I have a team at Columbia U."

"And what field, please, is your R&D team working in?"

Tenten crossed those stunning legs and angled her head so that the gold teardrops at her ears swung and caught the overhead fluorescent light. "Street artillery and civilian armament."

"The gun Mr. Sands used to shoot Mr. Aburame was sent to your lab. Is that correct?" When Tenten assured him it was, Genma asked, "What did you find of the weapon?"

"The model is from 2001, a .44-caliber Glock." Neji watched as Tenten, posture erect, recited the information from memory. As she spoke of the evidence in question, a slight sheen of rapture came to her eyes. "It carried no prints other than Mr. Aburame's, and the condition showed us it had been fired only three times."

"Concerning us," said Shiranui, turning to the jury's platform, "is the last firing alone, which happened on July sixteenth – the night my client was shot by an unthinking Gaara Sands." He paused, allowing the idea to sink in to all present. His eyes rested briefly on Neji as he smiled. "No further questions for this witness."

As Shiranui left the floor, Judge Morino motioned to the defense counsel. "Mr. Hyuuga?"

Neji stood, buttoning his suit jacket, and went in slow, even strides toward the stand. "Miss Long, isn't it?"

Tenten's bright gaze shifted from Shiranui to him. Neji felt an unanticipated jolt, the only outward sign a barely noticeable twitch of his left thumb. He took a second to realize that he had been mistaken in thinking her eyes were merely brown; he could see lines of gold threading the irises as pure as her earrings. "Yes, that's right."

Her response brought him back, and then Neji was working. "Can you please tell me, Miss Long, what percentage of the population in the city of New York is known to carry firearms on a daily basis?"

"According to the research of my team," she answered smoothly, "sixty-four point three, give or take a few digits."

"I see. And of that fifty-four point three percent, how many of those do not belong to gangs or legitimate armed forces?"

Tenten paused, considered. "Twenty-four point four."

Neji smirked, partly for effect, partly because that focused look she wore made her very cute. "Give or take?"

The witness was surprisingly unmoved. "A few digits," she nodded.

And she smelled very faintly of lavender. "Then we can assume that of that – shall we round down? – twenty-four percent, Mr. Sands stands for less than one percent."

Neji made sure she was looking at him, saw her lips curve in a polite smile. He was impressed. Usually the combination of his pragmatic tone and his eyes was enough to reduce a witness to little more than a block of solid ice.

"Now, then, Miss Long," he went on, "Mr. Sands's gun – was it fully registered with the correct authorities?"

"Yes."

"So in his operation and eventual use of the 2001, .44 Glock, Mr. Sands broke no laws?"

At this, Tenten buckled a little, her eyes flicking to Shiranui. Neji willed himself not to follow her gaze to Genma and waited instead for the Chinese-American woman to return her undivided attention to him. "That…that's right."

This time when Neji smirked, it was from genuine approval. "Thank you, Miss Long. That will be all."

He returned to his seat, unbuttoning his jacket once more. As Tenten Long was escorted from the courtroom, he again caught a whiff of lavender. Her eyes met his for only a second on her way by.

When she was gone, designer heels and hair buns and all, Neji was relieved. He could feel Shikamaru watching him, wondering. And he hated the idea of giving his partner something to wonder about.

* * *

"After the evidence and conclusions presented today by the plaintiff and the defense," Judge Morino was saying, "has the jury arrived at a decision?"

"We have, Your Honor."

"And the verdict?" he demanded roughly, no doubt itching to look at the clock again.

"We find the defendant, Mr. Sands, to be innocent of malicious intent toward Mr. Aburame. Not guilty."

Judge Morino nodded curtly, as if he had predicted the result as thus no other outcome was possible. "I understand Mr. Sands has a plane taking off for Cairo in three hours. You are free to leave, Mr. Sands, with the court's apologies." A bang of his gavel, and the courtroom buzzed with movement and discussion.

Neji and his client rose together, Gaara turning to him. "Thank you, Mr. Hyuuga." His face was grim, as much from the unhealed wounds he had sustained during his mugging as from his detached nature, but he was sincere. "It appears I'll just make my plane."

"To be honest," Neji admitted (something he would never do normally, but he valued Gaara's straightforwardness), "I would have had trouble if Aburame had been any less unwilling to speak in court. Shiranui had a chance to turn it around but was stopped by his own client."

"I don't know, Hyuuga," quipped Shikamaru, joining them. "You did a number with that R&D woman. She might as well have been a witness for your side, Mr. Sands." Lowering his voice, he added to the acquitted, "Your sister wishes you the best in Egypt."

Gaara nodded. Shaking hands with both of them, he promised to have his secretary send a check to their office before departing.

"Heading home?" Neji asked Shikamaru as they walked out together, the city clocks chiming six P.M.

Nara hissed between his teeth. "As bothersome as it is, I'm in trouble. Temari was shifted into a principal role in her current show today, and I didn't catch the matinee because I came to Gaara's trial."

"I had imagined you came because she asked you to."

"She did."

Confused, the Hyuuga ventured, "So what if you'd gone to her play?"

"I'd have been in trouble anyway for not going to the trial." Neji stared. Shikamaru sighed. "I know, I know…"

"How are you going to get _out _of trouble?"

"I'm seeing the eight o' clock curtain. And…" Digging deep into his suit pocket, Shikamaru fished out a small velvet box and held it between his thumb and forefinger. "I'm gonna have to kneel."

Neji's eyebrows arched. "Good luck."

"Yeah. Hey, there's your R&D girl," said Shikamaru, eager to divert attention away from himself and his abnormally romantic intentions. "See you Monday. We'll talk about the Yamato case then."

"All right." Discussing their upcoming projects was often how they said goodbye or initiated conversations. Both attorneys of Hyuuga & Nara preferred talk of work to that of their personal lives.

However, Neji couldn't resist looking toward where Shikamaru had gestured. He found Tenten nearing the bottom of the long slant of courthouse steps, sleek legs alternating for front and back. In an instant, he was sure that she could dance but was _not _sure why the notion had so suddenly sprung to mind. Neji barely realized that he was swiftly descending the stairs himself until he was calling after her: "Miss Long!"

She stopped six feet from the first step, slinging the strap of her leather handbag over her shoulder as she looked back at him. Neji joined her in a matter of seconds, feeling warm from something that only added to the heat. "Mr. Hyuuga, yes?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "I…I wanted to…" He wanted to curse. Ridiculously enough, he hadn't actually worked out what he had wanted from her. He had been thinking of her likely ability to dance but wasn't about to inquire into it. "I wanted to thank you for your cooperation today," he recovered.

"Oh." Summarily she smiled, full pink lips. "Well…you're – welcome. I guess. I was under the impression that Mr. Aburame was going to win his law suit, but it seems I thought wrong. You're quite the lawyer, Mr. Hyuuga." All of this was said with the utmost courtesy, yet Neji felt somehow slighted in spite of the obvious compliment.

"I appreciate you saying so," he politely returned. The sun was dimming in preparation for night, little more now than slants of light between skyscrapers falling on them. New York bustled about them, not waiting for two people on the courthouse steps to find a path. "If you ever decide to switch lawyers," Neji invited before too much awkward silence could submerge them.

Tenten gave a quick laugh. "I don't have a lawyer. Actually, after seeing your performance today, I consider myself officially interested in Hyuuga & Nara. I've heard of your firm, of course."

Neji thought nothing of the added "of course." He and Shikamaru had been interviewed, lectured about, and mentioned in the latest revisions of law textbooks all over the country. "Well, you're free to call – our office," he said, faltering just a little.

"Thank you." She extended her hand, and he shook it. "To be honest, Mr. Hyuuga, it's good to know that the quality of a lawyer is not fully dependent on how much you pay. Of course," she assured him on a laugh, "if I was any lower on the arms consultant list, I wouldn't even be able to consider you an option now." Starting down the street, Tenten tossed a last cheerful smile over her shoulder.

Neji was left on the courthouse steps, stricken. He stood there until the crowd thinned from throng to trickle of passersby and then continued home. Tenten Long, Neji thought; he made a mental note to e-mail Shikamaru and call dibs on this client.

_To Be Continued_


	2. Best Interest

**Author's Notes: **Thanks for reading! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and am making no profit from this fan fiction.

**Venus or Themis**

Part Two: Best Interest

By Nessie

Tenten couldn't find her new sky-blue silk shirt, and it was driving her crazy.

She walked barefoot around the bedroom of her spacious apartment, clothed only in grey, striped Capri pants and a plain white bra. Only half of her hair was its bun, the other hanging wavy and dark over her right shoulder. At least her makeup was finished.

She didn't know why she was so worked up; she had never been a neat person. Even now she ripped through closet racks and rifled through armoire drawers, not caring what organization or lack thereof the contents fell in. Various paraphernalia from old files to a curling iron littered the carpet. But neat or not, she had no one to impress. Rather, she expected someone else to impress _her_.

She paused in her rampage to loop a pair of gold hoops in her ears, reaching for the matching necklace from the jumble of jewelry ranging from classy to tacky in the box atop her vanity table. Sliding her Rolex onto her wrist, Tenten swore as she saw the time.

In the study adjoining the living room, her laptop computer hummed, and on its screen was an e-mail from the law office of Hyuuga & Nara telling her that she had a meeting with Neji Hyuuga at a coffeehouse on Fifth Avenue at ten in the morning. Not early enough for breakfast, Tenten had noted, not late enough for lunch. She had taken the day off, knowing the only work to pile up were a few reports for the dean at Columbia. Her team would handle everything else.

Tenten was putting her hair the rest of the way up and wondering what else she had was unwrinkled when she remembered with a flash that she had steamed the shirt the night before and raced to the hallway. Pulling back the folding doors that hid her washer/dryer and ironing board, she grabbed the longed-for garment and buttoned it on, adjusting the three-quarter sleeves before running for the door. She snatched up her purse and literally jumped into a pair of flats before dashing from her apartment.

Nine o' five. The subway would _just _get her there. Possibly. Probably.

Tenten groaned. Probably not.

* * *

She hit Starbucks at exactly ten-ten. _Ha, ha_, she thought bitterly, shaking a mental fist at whoever had it out for her.

The impeccable form of Neji Hyuuga was not difficult to zero in on, and Tenten made her way through the light business in the coffeehouse, weaving between round tables and hoping she didn't look as though she was running late – even if she was.

His choice of dress was more casual than it had been during the Gaara Sands trial, khakis and white button-up shirt a good idea enduring the heat outside. The long black hair she had tried to resist noticing at the courthouse was loose and hanging down his back. He sat at a corner table with a latte and caught sight of her almost immediately.

She made her approach rather guiltily as Neji scooted back his chair and stood. "Mr. Hyuuga? I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I was pretty sluggish this morn…"

The pearl gaze that met her own was enough to shut her up instantaneously. "It's perfectly fine," the attorney replied in an irritation-free voice. Tenten hardly realized she had given him her hand before he was shaking it. "Would you like to order a drink or get started?"

Tenten wondered if the hand of an invisible force had turned the dial on her brain to "ridiculously slow." She set her purse on the table, still flustered and hating it. "Get started?"

She saw the corners of his lips tip up in possible amusement at her uncertainty. "I promise there's nothing to be nervous about. We'll take care of you." It was clearly a recycled assurance, but Tenten couldn't say it didn't help her. Besides, she wasn't entirely positive she disliked the way his voice sounded with the words.

Neji gestured for her to sit but did not try to guide her to the chair; gentlemanly without sexist. Tenten liked that. She watched him pull forms and files from his sleek briefcase and noted the definite lack of a wedding ring. Letting herself relax a little (she tended to have trouble working with married men), Tenten waited for him to get situated.

"It's a fairly painless process," he began. "At some point, I would like it if you met my partner, Shikamaru Nara, so that you're familiar with our firm as a whole." He went on to ask her the usual questions; what her level of education was, her legal history, whether her business was of the particularly delicate kind regarding the law.

When at last he came to the basics regarding her family, Tenten's defenses went on high alert. "Have you ever been married?" he asked, not a note of interest in the question.

"No," she told him, not sure why she felt faintly disappointed.

"Are you an only child, Miss Long?"

"Tenten, please." Anxiousness began to creep up her spine and clench needle-like fingers in her neck. She didn't like formalities anyway. "And yes, I am."

He didn't leap to use her first name but continued with his train of thought. "That would make your next of kin your parents. What are their names?"

She got to her feet with unneeded celerity. "You know, Mr. Hyuuga, I will have that drink. I'll just… I'll be back in a minute. Excuse me." The last came out in a murmur, and then she was walking away from their table and toward the service counter. Tenten did not look back to see her attorney-to-be's expression, which was befuddled and narrow-eyed.

She stood in line with crossed arms. Tenten did not like being asked about her parentage, not even when the asking was completely valid. Too many bad memories coupled with too few good ones were enough to nurture a preference for avoiding the subject entirely.

Tenten inwardly sighed, shoulders hunching, as she collected her white mocha Frappuccino. With a mental berate to stop acting like a child, she plastered a pleasant smile on her face and returned to the table. Neji sat, unmoved, but his eyes watched her closely. "Thank you for waiting," she said politely although the temperature in the room seemed to be skyrocketing. "You asked me the names of—"

"Actually, Tenten," interposed the Hyuuga smoothly, jolting her a tad with the use of her first name, "I believe it would be a better idea to continue this on another day. I have a meeting in thirty minutes, and I've already kept you too long."

Tenten checked the time, saw she had been there only forty-five minutes. "I thought the e-mail from your office said an hour?"

"It did." Methodically, he started to repack his briefcase. Pausing for just a moment, he looked up and gave her the same smirk he'd used during the trial when she had been on the witness stand. "But now we both have an extra fifteen minutes."

She couldn't help it; Tenten grinned. "I like the way you think, Mr. Hyuuga."

"Neji, please." He didn't say it as easily as she did, but with more certainty, perhaps. Clasping the case, he straightened and turned to her. "How does next Tuesday sound for a business lunch? We'll wrap this up."

"Good," she agreed quickly, shifting her coffee cup to her left hand to shake his right one. "Thank you for being so patient with me. I've no idea of legal matters."

"No one does," he told her, all honesty. "That's what lawyers are for. I have only your best interest in mind. Have a good day, Tenten."

"You too, Neji." Her voice came out cheerfully this time, and as she sipped from her drink she watched him go. Clean lines and varying shades; that was Neji Hyuuga. Tenten was surprised to find that he had, without noticeable effort, improved her mood a hundredfold after souring it only minutes before.

No wonder he was such a good lawyer.

With a new spring in her step, Tenten left the Starbucks and headed down Fifth Avenue. She had a half-an-hour all to herself before she had her one remaining appointment for the day.

* * *

"What do you think, Tenten? Better than the ivory?"

Tenten folded her hands on top of her crossed legs. "I like this one best," she told the pink-haired woman standing before the three-part mirror, her back to Tenten. "So far anyway. It's only ten past one. Did you want to try a different designer?"

"Hm, maybe. Ino was sure I'd go with this one." Turning back to the glass, Sakura Haruno, medical doctor, and soon to be Doctor Sakura Haruno-Uchiha, studied the bridal gown she wore. A halter strap secured it to her body, the material fitting at the torso but not enough to be skintight. From her waist, yards of cream satin flowed to the floor. "In fact, the longer I wear it, the more I love it. Damn, I'm glad my eating habits are so irregular," the surgeon declared. "Gaining two pounds would do me in with this."

"Ino has good taste. Is she going to be able to make the wedding?"

"She's flying in from L.A. the day before. Ino's part of the reason the wedding's so small; we don't want too much attention. The Uchiha-Haruno wedding could very quickly turn into Ino Yamanaka's homecoming." With a roll of her eyes, Sakura added, "It's obnoxious sometimes that's she such a popular model, but it can't be helped." Turning to the left, Sakura looked over her shoulder to study the dress's plunging backline. "I don't want press mucking up my wedding. And I need Ino to be there."

Tenten nodded. "It's sweet that you've been friends since kindergarten."

"Believe me, we've had our bad times. But I love her anyway." Sakura smiled. She had been worried, Tenten knew, about choosing Ino over her for maid of honor. And while Sakura and Tenten had been roommates in college, Tenten had always known Ino would be the immediate choice. "Don't tell her I took her advice, she'd be _insufferable_."

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

"So how did that court thing go?" the younger woman asked, disappearing into the adjacent changing room to strip off the gown. "You never told me."

"Not much to tell, really. I gave them some statistics from the college, smiled and looked pretty. I _was_ on time, so there's something."

"Very good!" was Sakura's congratulatory praise.

"Oh. And I found a lawyer there." Tenten mentioned this with trepidation, predicting Sakura's response.

"The guy who asked you to come to court?"

"No…the defense counsel who questioned me after him. Neji Hyuuga."

Sakura burst from the changing room with a crash of wooden door against wooden wall. Her jade eyes were positively bulging. "The ball buster, Neji Hyuuga?"

"He's not the _only_ ball-busting lawyer in New York," Tenten pointed out.

"No, but he's Neji Hyuuga! From Hyuuga & Nara, right?" When her friend nodded, Sakura let out a breathy chuckle. "Jeez, Tenten, when do you think you'll get in so much trouble you'll need him?"

"Who knows? My profession's not all that safe, Sakura." She gathered her purse and went with the slightly younger woman to the front counter. All this white was reminding her of her new attorney's eyes, and that was disconcerting. "Our research helps get illegal weapons off the street, and not everyone is all yay-rah about that. I had this poor kid on my team, he got beat up by his roommate's boyfriend when the guy's _rifle _was seized by the authorities."

"Wow. You know, you'd have a lot more protection if you would go ahead and sign with the government. More money too."

"I don't need more money. Columbia pays well. And I'd rather not have to go through all that crap you told me about when you first signed up; people getting on your case because you've got a uterus."

"It's so much better than that now," Sakura protested. "They're getting used to women holding positions there, Tenten."

"Doctors, maybe. I can't imagine any man's man wanting to listen while I told them the rights and wrongs of civilian armament."

"Well, you should at least consider it further." Sakura grinned mischievously as she laid her Visa on the counter to pay for her dress. "Besides, don't think I don't know a diversion when I hear it. You're trying to avoid the Neji Hyuuga topic."

Tenten stared at her. "I'm not—"

"Good. Is he as young as they say?"

"He's my age."

"And handsome?"

"Well," Tenten began, "he's a lot more attractive than the lawyers I've seen. I've never seen any guy fill out a suit like that before. It's really quite…magnificent."

"You," Sakura announced as they walked into the sunshine outside the bridal boutique, "are interested."

The Asian woman let out a short laugh. "No. Not my type. He's ninety percent serious, eight percent arrogant, and two percent workaholic. Though I might be wrong about the arrangement of those numbers."

"As long as he's one-hundred percent man…"

"Sakura!" she exclaimed. "He's my _lawyer_."

The doctor simply beamed at her. "Advantageous, isn't it?" She behaved and listened while Tenten told her of the business lunch set up for the coming Tuesday. "You should at least have fun with it. Dress yourself up, enjoy the sight, and as I assume he's paying out of the sincere gratitude of Hyuuga & Nara, do better at ordering than just a salad."

"You're insatiably nosy," Tenten informed her on a chuckle. "You're almost as dangerous as a handgun. Maybe that's why I like you so much."

"I'm a doctor, dear." Sakura returned Tenten's amused grin with one of her own. "And I diagnose you to be in desperate need of a fling."

* * *

The thing about Sakura's diagnosis was that Tenten was not a fling kind of person. She had dated once in high school and very rarely in college, preferring studying to partying. She had graduated near the top of her class and proceeded to get a job early on at a prestigious school. She loved her career and the work she was doing. The only company she had truly needed for the past eight or so years was that of friends, and they had been more than there for her.

When it came down to it, she thought as she went home for the night, she wasn't a relationship person. Tenten had gone to a therapist once and only once to ask why. Predictably, the bespectacled, middle-aged man had interpreted the situation as a direct response to the death of her parents during her sophomore year of high school.

Two Chinese-American citizens of New York, Mr. and Mrs. Ying Por Long, were shot down on a walk through Central Park just after sunset. Their fifteen-year-old daughter, Tenten, had been getting after-school tutoring at a schoolmate's apartment when she received a visit from the NYPD.

It had been the main factor in determining her life goal – to make weapon use safer, more controlled, without ridding the local citizen of his right to bear arms. She appreciated the protective good a gun could do and the science involved in producing a well-made weapon, but she needed to see the appropriate use of them in her lifetime.

Still, talking of her parents was difficult. Neji Hyuuga's asking had very nearly given her an anxiety attack. She had loved her mother and father, and she believed they would have approved of her choice of path in life.

Since their deaths, however, Tenten had learned how to be alone and happy at the same time. And she didn't like the idea of that being undone just yet.

Even if Neji Hyuuga did claim to have her "best interest in mind."

_To Be Continued_


	3. Good Business

**A/N: **In which we move the plot along! I guess in all honesty, there's minimal plot to this but it's so fun bear with me.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and am making no profit from this fan fiction.

**Venus or Themis**

Part Three: Good Business

By Nessie

As a lawyer with many appointments during the course of every week, Neji Hyuuga had punctuality practically ingrained into his DNA. Lateness was unacceptable and could result in the loss of his monthly check or a valued client. Whether it meant leaving his condo at the crack of dawn or even earlier, he had never once been late to a meeting.

And never, either, had he been forced to wait for a client to show up at a meeting. But there was something undeniably amusing about watching Tenten Long rush through the doors of the Cheesecake Factory at close to twenty minutes past their agreed-upon time, sheepishness working its way into her lovely features. Neji could not possibly feel annoyed by her tardiness. Instead, he noticed her flattering lime-green sleeveless turtleneck that bared perfectly smooth shoulders. And how her lavender scent infiltrated his senses as she came closer, leaving him damnably close to smiling at the apologetic excuse she began to stammer out.

"I'm sorry, Neji, I had this lousy intern at my department who tried to organize the computer files on his own and practically crashed the whole system, so I had to wait until the maintenance center sent someone over and…and…" She trailed, looked at him in open befuddlement. She couldn't have looked more self-conscious if her face had been a question mark.

Amused in spite of himself, Neji folded his arms and spoke aloud what he was actually thinking. "I'm afraid I have no hope of interpreting those frantic hand gestures you're making." His face stayed perfect straight, revealing nothing.

Tenten continued to stand, open-mouthed, for just a moment before her lips spread in a grin and she gave a short laugh. "I tend to do it when I'm nervous," she answered honestly. Sitting, she put aside her handbag and did not hesitate to flip open her menu. "What exactly does the Hyuuga & Nara budget cover?"

They both ordered, and Neji watched while she made polite banter with their waitress, genuinely laughing when the teenage girl made a joke, and he decided he would tip the girl generously for giving him the opportunity to see such a smile. As the waitress took off, Tenten turned that happy face to him, and it lingered momentarily before fading to a more appropriate show of emotion.

"Now, Mr. Hyuuga – Neji – I believe we had some unfinished business to cover?"

He had not missed the way she had gone into lock-down last week when he had merely brought up the subject of her parents. He had seen her shoulders tense standing at the Starbucks counter, saw the impending panic in her eyes when she had returned to the table. Neji was sure he had made the right decision in giving her time to sort out whatever inner demons plagued her.

"Yes, your parents." He pulled her half-completed file from his briefcase, taking a moment to sip from his water glass before clicking his pen. "Their names are?"

When she did not promptly answer, the lawyer looked up from his document and traced the curve of Tenten's stiffened jaw and too-erect head with his eyes. "Can we just skip that question?"

Impatience flitted through his mind. Whatever her personal tragedy, she wasn't the only New Yorker who had one. He did not need her parents' histories, for goodness' sake, he only needed their names. If she had never had any parents, she needed only say so and the matter would be over with. But then Neji saw the acute pain in her sideways gaze and the annoyance dissipated. He could not deny her the favor.

"Very well. Let's talk about Columbia U. On what date did you begin work there?"

They went back and forth in a harmless question/answer session over water and orange chicken. Neji couldn't resist studying her, how the light played upon her skin, the stained-glass overhead lamp casting a rainbow on her neck. And then he could barely keep his eyes from that point, even while she spoke animatedly of her work and the unavoidable legal risks involved, because he knew somehow that the gentle curve would be soft beneath his fingers, his lips—

"Neji? Mr. Hyuuga?"

His gaze snapped to hers, pulse thrumming a little faster than he was comfortable with. Neji gave no outward indication that he had not been attending, yet Tenten repeated herself anyway.

"I asked if you happen to own a sidearm yourself."

The question seemed random at best until he recalled (not too slowly, of course, because he was Neji Hyuuga) that they had been on the subject of her profession. "No," he answered with such confidence it would seem there had never been a break in the flow of conversation. "I have been trained in martial arts, so there has never been a need—"

"Martial arts?" Her eyes were wide, not in naïve ignorance but in curiosity. "What kind? If you don't mind my asking," she added quickly, and he was amused again because politeness seemed a second priority for her.

"Taijutsu." But really, this wasn't the sort of conversation Neji should have been having with his client. This was a business lunch, after all, and they were only meeting for business affairs.

"That's really fascinating. The only guys I know who know anything like that is – well, one is probably very dangerous and the other is absolutely insane. Both are talented, too."

From that, Neji had no idea what to think of the crowd she may have been a part of. Terrible though it was, he was discovering that he had a very strong desire to learn. He didn't know why, and that was what bothered him the most. It could possibly have been caused by the way she wore her hair (he found those buns almost unreasonably attractive).

What made her tick? Neji usually only wondered this of his clients to know whether or not their interests would cause them trouble with the law. Tenten's chief curiosities seemed to be in the design, use, and rules of both modern and classic weaponry, and this could give her a legitimate need for his legal services in the foreseeable future (while she didn't come across as a woman of a violent nature, everyone had hidden urges that could prove capable of irreparable damage if not monitored). But this time, he found his personal interest lay beyond the usual of what he normally held in those he worked for. Still, Neji reminded himself forcefully, business meetings were not the place for discussions of the self. And he was a very good businessman.

"Do you want to go to dinner tomorrow?" He asked the question so quickly Neji hardly realized that he had spoken aloud until Tenten's dark lashes were rising and falling, rising and falling in her astonishment.

"I…I thought you intended to finish all of this," she made a table-encompassing gesture, "today?"

"I do." He had to recover. This wasn't his element. "I would like to. But I…I've heard there's a restaurant opening this evening, a few blocks from here. Or…" One of his hands curled into the loose fabric of his slacks as his mind raced. She was merely _staring _at him, for God's sake. "Or there are a number of films debuting tomorrow night. If you like movies, that is. I very rarely—"

"Oh!" Tenten exclaimed suddenly. "You're asking me out."

For a second, his cantering brain puttered to a graceless stop. Had his intention not been clear? "Yes," Neji answered slowly when the gears began to whirl again. "I am." He hoped she wouldn't notice the surprised cadence in his voice.

The attorney could have honestly lifted the unused fork beside his place and thrust it straight into his own heart to put an end to his self-inflicted embarrassment. It was so absurd that he had frankly _blurted _out his question, a question he had not even realized he had desired to voice. Neji Hyuuga had faced countless jury stands, judges, and witnesses. He did not just _blurt _things out.

He watched the ends of her mouth gently turn upward. "Are you allowed to do that?"

Annoyed at himself, the truth came out rather sharply, although Tenten did not seem affected by it. "No."

She laughed, and some of his inner turmoil lifted at the lighthearted way she took a drink from her water glass before answering. He didn't miss, however, the moments of consideration, the internal debate. "In that case, yes, Neji, I would love to go with you."

It was not, perhaps, the smoothest way of acquiring a date but successful nonetheless. Neji allowed himself to relax his posture somewhat. "Restaurant or movie?" he asked, to confirm.

Tenten grinned at him, the nuance of doubt now cleared from her eyes. "Both, of course."

* * *

"How'd it go?"

Neji froze one step beyond the door to Shikamaru's office. Their building was not so quiet that his entrance had made a lot of racket – their secretary, Moegi, insisted upon playing music throughout her shift – but his partner was uncannily good at detecting his arrival even when he was trying to get by unnoticed. It was only when he actually wanted to talk that Shikamaru vocally intercepted his path to Neji's own office.

Backtracking, Neji trained his blank eyes on Shikamaru sat at an enormous oak desk at the far end of the room, typing on a sleek Mac computer. The other man wore casual dress, khakis and a polo shirt, spiky hair forced into his usual high ponytail. "How did what go?"

"Don't dodge, Hyuuga." Though they had been working long enough to be on a first-name basis, the two attorneys preferred to address each other by surname unless the matter beyond normal conversation. "Tenten Long: part two. It usually takes you only one meeting to get a client's information." Shikamaru raised his head from its inclined angle and tilted it far enough for his neck to give a quiet pop before looking at Neji. "It's interesting that Miss Long required a second visit for something so simple."

"It was just a coincidental time collision," Neji told him, switching his briefcase to the opposite hand.

"Did you get everything from her?"

He decided, for a reason he was not certain of, not to tell Shikamaru the whole truth, letting a stern look answer for him.

"Fine. I wanted to speak to you about the Hatake Company's account. You don't know anything about architecture, do you?"

"I can't say that I do," responded Neji cordially, though he was eager to get to his office and finish his work for the day. He wasn't usually a hurry-home type, but this whole day had been a bit unusual for him.

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind meeting with Hatake on Monday. I was supposed to do it tomorrow, but I'm supposed to go to the opening of that restaurant I mentioned to you yesterday, so I had it switched to the start of the week, but I'm meeting with Kankurou Sands. Wednesdays are so unpredictable anyway, I'm trying to make it…what?" Shikamaru's eyes had narrowed, though the lethargic set of his shoulders remained.

"You're going to that? That restaurant opening?"

"Yeah, I told you Temari and I probably would."

Neji didn't recall the word "probably," only phrases involving "Temari's making me" and "can't get out of anything once you're engaged". Looking up at the ceiling, he noted, "I didn't take you for a mid-week date man."

"I'm not. Or at least, I can't. Temari has evening shows during the week, but she's letting the understudy in to go with me. My friend from Jersey, Chouji Akimichi, is the meat chef at this place. Ichiraku's, I think it's called."

"I'm going," Neji said abruptly.

Shikamaru raised one eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Why?"

He didn't figure there was a correct way of putting it, so Neji told him bluntly, "I'm going on a date with Tenten Long."

The other brow shot up to join its twin. "Oh…you asked her?" Neji nodded. "Today at your lunch?" Another nod, and Nara smirked. "That's…incredibly unprofessional of you."

"I know," Neji muttered, still not at terms with the occurrence himself.

"Well, I won't tell. Still," Shikamaru added, a fast chortle escaping, "_you're _not a mid-week date man. Hell, I was starting to think you didn't date. Like, asexual or something."

"I've been on dates," the Hyuuga retorted defensively, keeping as much inflection from his cadence as possible.

"Man, you went out with that Kin woman, who turned out to be psycho."

He really wanted out of there. "I didn't know she was certifiably mentally ill."

"Until she invited you in, handed you a razor, and asked you to cut her leg before sex." Shikamaru winced. "Ouch."

"I'm going to finish up," Neji told him firmly. "Don't bother me. And give me directions to Ichiraku's tomorrow so I can e-mail her."

Smirk back in place, Shikamaru nodded his assent. "Okay, okay. But Neji, take it easy, all right? As alluring as I know those R&D girls are, Tenten Long is still a client." The younger man had a knack for fitting a dry joke into his counsel. "We don't want to lose any good business."

"I know," Neji agreed before finally continuing onward to his own office. Where Shikamaru's had consisted of a massive desk and little else, Neji's own cherry desk was considerably smaller to allow for more room. His office was lined with bookshelves which held what was essentially the Hyuuga & Nara law library. The most attractive feature was that the one blank wall, desk positioned in front of it, was actually a plane of floor-to-ceiling window that offered him a phenomenal view of the city skyline.

Neji considered his partner's words before filing them in his mind in the way he would order Moegi to file Tenten Long's forms; accessible, but used only when needed. He did not need anyone to tell him that business came before romance – for now. Shikamaru was already past that point, but he had yet to move into an area of life consisting of more than the time between trials.

But now, by his own will, Tenten was suddenly blurring the line between work and recreation in Neji's usually categorized existence. It ruffled him. And more, it actually excited him. Pulling out his Blackberry, he inputted his date for the following evening.

_To Be Continued_


	4. Not Bad

**A/N**: Just so you know, there are only two more chapters after this (I never intended the fic to be this long) but expect a bunch of action!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and am making no profit from this fan fiction.

**Venus or Themis**

Part Four: Not Bad

By Nessie

Tenten woke unusually easily with her alarm the next morning, one hand curled into the smooth linen sheet she laid beneath, the other crossed lazily over her middle. She had worn a simple Columbia University T-shirt and brown draw-string cotton pants. Her hair was loose and tumbled over her pillow. Outside, she was very comfortable. Inside – not so much.

Well, she thought with a series of blinks to clear away the last vestiges of sleep, she was a goddamn _liar_.

Not my type, she had told Sakura. She had meant it at the time when she had shown no intention of acting on her interest in Neji Hyuuga. Her initial purpose had been for obtaining only legal defense and nothing more. And then she'd…what?

_He _had asked her to dinner, and he had been so serious which at first she had somewhat resented but then somewhat admired, because he _was _good-looking, and he _was _intelligent, and he _had _cut her slack and, Christ, it had honestly been a long time since she had been on a date. Tenten sat up and let her forehead fall into a propped-up palm. She felt both weak-willed and strangely satisfied, and the friction between the two was giving her a headache.

Sakura was going to laugh when she found out about this. At least Tenten had her work to keep her mind off tonight, even though she knew the first thing she would do after arriving at the school would be to check her e-mail for a meet-up time from Neji. Why? It just rounded back to the fact that she was a _liar_.

With a little sigh, Tenten slid out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom for a wakeup shower. Sometimes, she thought with a smile she couldn't restrain, she was disappointed in herself.

* * *

She was distracted at work. Deciding it was a good thing she only headed the R&D department and didn't actually teach within it, Tenten bore the curious glances and crooked smirks the students she worked with sent her way, zeroing in on her fraying nerves as only college kids could. She gave them basic tasks of the look-online variety and proceeded to hole herself up in her office with its large windows to keep an eye on the excitable undergrads and fret about whether or not going to dinner and a movie with Neji Hyuuga was a bombastically terrible idea.

Tenten had a very good fret going (involving the rigorous tapping of her pen on her desk and copious amounts of coffee) when her office door was flung open by a visitor she hadn't noticed coming her way. Whirling in her swivel chair, she hoped whoever had entered without knocking had invented a poison that wouldn't kill because if a mark had been dug in the wall, she might have had to find one that did…

Her narrowed chocolate-brown eyes landed on the wide charcoal ones of her best friend, and she duly noted that poison would never been enough to put down Rock Lee.

An absurdly tall, lanky man, he was trim from the bowl shape of his gelled black hair to the speed at which he ran after years of track. Technically his name was Lee Rock, but he had reversed it on the insistence that "it sounded better," and everyone still called him Lee anyway. A sculptor whose hobby was martial arts, he actually _used _different types of rock as a play with his name. His gimmick was to shape the rock into his imagined piece by punching it, but only after breaking small bits out of larger chunks with his powerful legs. His art school professors had called him completely insane. Critics loved him.

Of course, the crazy, praised man only presented that image to those who didn't know him. To those who did, he was a thief of artistic interest. The name-reverse idea was taken from architect Maitou Gai (Gai Maitou on official documents), whom Lee had met when Gai had spoken at his art school. Since then, much to Gai's flattery and Tenten's chagrin, he had mimicked the older man in everything from his hair to his bleached teeth and his penchant for wearing a ridiculous amount of green. Most annoying of all, both of them had a habit of giving thumbs-ups at the moment when such a thing was most uncalled for.

"Your kids are buzzing with the mischievous gossip of youth, Tenten," began Lee jokingly, shutting the door with less dramatic energy.

Telling Lee about her date would prove either de-stressing or disastrous. Feeling the latter to be far more likely, she took a deep gulp from her panda-patterned mug before answering nonchalantly, "They're students, Lee. Making stuff up is how they survive."

Lee laughed in good-natured appreciation of the unfortunate truth, but the story-hungry gleam did not leave his bushy brow-topped eyes. "Even so…you are striving for an intriguing minimum of eye contact."

Tenten immediately locked gazes with him, as though doing so would prove him wrong. "I'm just in the middle of some important research." Catching sight of her computer and its decidedly research-free desktop, she hurried to pull of a file of any kind.

"Tenten," Lee said with a note of seriousness, "have you got a _boyfriend_?"

"No!" The unique set of eyebrows hiked up, and she inwardly sighed. Disaster it was, then. "I just have a date."

"Thank God! I was worried you would marry a can of mace before too long."

"I've been on dates," she snapped in self-defense. "And I've had boyfriends."

He was practically crowing. "Not since college. And not for more than three months. Tell me." Another note of incognito amusement, "When was the last time you went to bed with someone?" he inquired, his tone of voice reaching for clandestine and managing only boyish curiosity.

She'd have blushed if she wasn't someone who could take apart, reload, and put a rifle back together in under forty seconds. "When did _you_?" But the truth was that a good deal of women found her overzealous friend attractive. A rather open young lady (with a spot too much to drink) had once informed her that Lee had very talented fingers outside of sculpture, and at any rate, a straight male sculptor was hard to come by. Lee had probably had much more and much better sex in the last few weeks than she had in the last few years.

Tenten experienced a sudden realization that she was _pathetic_.

"Who is it you're dating?"

"I'm not telling you." He pouted, but it was a sound call. If Lee knew, she ran the risk of him telling Sakura, who would tell Ino, who was the world's biggest gossip-monger, and within a week it would be known over both coasts that Tenten Long had seen a movie with her lawyer.

Her e-mail alert dinged, saving her from a potentially vicious bout of friendly indignation from Lee. Gesturing for him to pour some coffee for himself, Tenten read the first one, a very brief note from Neji telling her the address and meet-up time for Ichiraku's, a pasta and barbecue place, along with a few movie options.

Quickly going to the next mail before Lee could peep at her screen, she scanned a letter from the New York state department. A small gasp she couldn't keep down drew Lee's attention. "What is it?"

"The government's contacted me again. They've doubled their pay offer."

Lee looked over her shoulder at the e-mail. His eyes went impossibly wider. "Tenten, that's huge!" For a second, she was concerned he would spill scalding coffee on her in his surprise. "You're taking that, aren't you? Ten hundred thousand a year—"

"But I don't need that kind of cash."

"Think of the charities you could help out though," observed Lee.

"Yeah." As appealing as government work, pay, and research assistance sounded, the truth was her thoughts kept drifting back to dark hair and pale eyes. "I'm thinking about it."

* * *

She was late, late, _late._

When Tenten found Neji standing near the doors of the wide-front restaurant beneath its brand-new, flashing sign, she took solace in the fact that she looked phenomenal in the slim, black dinner dress purchased in a moment of weakness (she seemed to be having several of those lately). When she clicked over to him in her heels, he spoke before she could rattle off an apologetic excuse.

"You're right on time."

Befuddled, her eyebrows drew together, forming a crease she could not know Neji found incontestably adorable. "But your e-mail said…"

"I told you thirty minutes ahead of time as a precaution." He gestured for her to follow him inside. "There are reservations," he explained with a tone of perfect reason.

Unexpectedly, Tenten laughed, not offended by his honesty. "How very strategic."

The interior of Ichiraku's was large, widely spaced between tables, and a little under par. Tenten didn't know much about decorating, but the place seemed a little blasé to her, the dominating color a pale tan with lighting dim, as though intended for a romantic atmosphere, and succeeding only in lack of sufficiency. Yet when they were led to their table, Tenten didn't need an excess of illumination to recognize Neji's partner, Shikamaru Nara, and Broadway star Temari Sands.

Neji proceeded with introductions, and hands were shaken before their drink orders were jotted down. "I saw you in _Envy_ when you first started last season," Tenten told Temari with a smile. She liked to break the ice right away.

Temari chuckled, her blue eyes glittering more brightly than the diamond on her left hand. "I only wish I could've seen _your_ performance. Shikamaru tells me you were inadvertently instrumental in keeping my brother out of jail. Thanks."

Conversation segued from the trial to current politics (the four generally agreed that George W. Bush needed to go back to Texas) to the menu as they placed their orders. All the while, Tenten was acutely aware of Neji's unabashed attention of her. She desperately hoped she hadn't already done something unbecoming or said something stupid. At one point, she sneaked a sideways glance at him and thought she might have caught him with the corners of his mouth turned up, if not actually smiling. Maybe it was the wine.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the approach of two men and Shikamaru standing up to set a hand on one's shoulder. This man was pleasantly rotund and redheaded, the other blond and thin. Both wore white aprons, though the blond's was fairly well-stained.

"Neji, Tenten, this is Chouji Akimichi," Shikamaru said. "He's responsible for your food tonight."

Chouji waved to them and nodded to Temari, whom he had already seemed to have met. "Unless you ordered pasta; then Naruto Uzumaki here would be in charge of that."

Naruto certainly seemed hyperactive enough to load himself down with carbs and never gain an ounce. "Hi there! We only have about five minutes to talk." Leaning over, he lowered his voice and spoke to the table beside Tenten. "But we _really_ only have eight months under contract here."

"Naruto's opening his own place," Chouji added secretively.

"And I'm taking Chouji with me," Naruto grinned.

"What kind of food?" Tenten asked. From her right, Neji shifted.

"Not sure yet, but it'll look better there, for sure. This place isn't bad," relented Naruto, "but it's kind bland, ya know?"

"The food's not," Chouji quickly assured them.

Dinner _was _good, and Tenten found she liked Temari and Shikamaru. She liked even more the way Neji seemed to unwind when faced with Temari's quirky conversation and Shikamaru's dry wit. When they parted at nine o' clock, Temari promised her a free ticket to her latest play. Tenten missed it when Shikamaru murmured something to Neji who only raised an eyebrow at him in response.

Neji and Tenten caught a late showing of a surprisingly mature, advanced Disney movie involving cursed pirates and rum-obsessed Johnny Depp . The tension first began to build in the taxi ride to the cinema, although she gave him extra points for trying to keep the conversation going by telling her of his start with Shikamaru as attorneys. The prospect of spending a couple of hours in a darkened theater loomed over them, but once they were there, it was thankfully not as awkward as she had predicted. Hyuuga was a perfect gentleman the entire time and kept his hands to himself while Geoffrey Rush gave swashbuckling laughs and Orlando Bloom looked perpetually confused. Tenten tried not to feel disappointed.

He accompanied her in the cab ride home, Tenten feeling his white stare all the way there. Neji was quietly outgoing, she realized, not shy at all. While he might have been extremely careful about what he said to her, he had no qualms about where he looked. When she spotted him studying the curve of her leg nearest him, his eyes hastily met hers, and Tenten had to suppress a shiver. It was like being touched.

They arrived, and Neji walked her up as she had suspected he would. They had said precious little to each other after the movie but Tenten concluded it had been very comfortable silence. At her door, she turned to him. "Not too bad for a first date, huh?"

Neji's glance was level. "Are you saying you would like another?"

Her pulse went immediately erratic as a thought entered the front of her mind; she couldn't believe she was about to say this… "Are you saying this one's over?"

For the first time she saw that so confident exterior falter when his eyes fractionally widened. She mentally congratulated him on handling his emotions but felt proud of herself for cracking him a little.

Tenten reached for his hand but found it already halfway to her waist. They met in a very hurried, very deep kiss that promptly put her brain on hold and set every nerve ablaze. Whether she had admitted it to herself or not, she'd been imagining this since he had first leaned over the witness stand toward her at Gaara's trial.

Breaking off from him, she turned in his arms to unlock the door, fumbling when she felt his lips fall onto the bare nape of her neck, one hand splayed across her flat stomach. It was a comfort to know he had gone as mindless as she.

When they did manage to get inside, Tenten grabbed his arm, pulled him to her and didn't bother with lights.

_To Be Continued_


	5. To Make A Choice

**Author's Notes: **There will only be one more chapter after this. Thanks to all for reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and am making no profit from this fanfiction.

**Venus or Themis**

By Nessie

Part Five: To Make A Choice

Tenten Long, Neji learned, was a _very _heavy sleeper. This suited him fine as it gave him a chance to study her unguarded. Cheerful and carefree as she often appeared, he saw also the defenses she painstakingly maintained around others.

Her skin was nearly flawless with only a few pale scars here and there from life. It gleamed gold against the powder blue sheet that he had retrieved for them in the middle of the night because they had kicked it off during…well, during activity. Tenten's hair was lovely, some of it tossed over his arm from when she had turned over toward him. Neji enjoyed the pleasant softness of it in addition to the heat her body radiated, reminding him of last night when Tenten had locked the door behind them and performed a wonderful trick that involved wrapping one bare leg behind his knee.

Neji had no idea he was smiling. And when Tenten's eyes fluttered open to reveal dark amber, the smile was completely abolished because in that moment he had a split-second realization: he was certain he would have liked to stay here, right here, for the rest of his life.

Neji, while not normally an easily intimidated man, was _terrified_.

"I didn't think it was that bad."

Startled, he came back to the present. Tenten was looking blearily at him. Neutralizing his features, Neji allowed one corner of his mouth to quirk. "Not after the initial danger. I nearly tripped a few times." He gestured to the floor, on which was strewn not only their abandoned clothes but also an assortment of brick-a-brack taken up and tossed down again at her fickle will. Brushing the back of his hand over the inside of her thigh, they both recalled the undersized handgun he had discovered strapped there in the dark. "And then I could've been shot," he said lowly, liking it when her lips curved in response.

"Only if I'd pulled the trigger." Tenten sat up, perfectly comfortable when the sheet fell to her lap. "Now what?" she asked, gaze roving his newly-awakened body even as his roved hers. "Coffee? I'm a lousy cook, but I can manage a ham and cheese omelet."

Neji debated a moment, then figured there was no point in delaying an inevitable conversation. "Are you all right with this, Tenten?"

Their eyes met, and a spark of reason shone through the desire. She was so intelligent; she just happened to be scatter-brained as well. "Yes. After all, we're both consenting, clear-thinking adults."

He admitted to himself that he hadn't been thinking at all last night, let alone with any semblance of clarity. "That's true."

"Is there any reason why we couldn't separate work and a relationship?"

Also the truth: "I can't conceive one."

Tenten grinned. "So if we can both handle it, should we or should with not proceed with this," a smile threatened to overtake her mock serious face, "agreement?"

Her amusement was contagious. "Any clauses?"

"Well…" Settling herself across his chest, she ran a few fingers through his tangled black hair. "I would still appreciate some privacy as much as I imagined you would. And it would be _nice_ if the sex continued to be phenomenal."

The lawyer felt a surge of male pride. "Guaranteed," he said. Cupping the back of her head, he initiated a good-morning kiss.

* * *

They were both so busy without a relationship that it took some practice to kick off theirs, but once they did the safety they experienced with each other was unmatched. Neji was informed by Tenten that she had been offered and planned to accept a position with the New York state department, which would allow for bigger career opportunities later. With this occurrence, she had to meet with "her attorney" several times a week to arrange her contract, and if the meeting transitioned from verbal to other forms of communication, Neji did not complain.

Shikamaru adjusted to the change in his partner's status well. He liked Tenten, and he often took a break to play a round of chess with her at the board he kept in his office if Neji wasn't immediately available (she always lost).

Neji was mildly surprised when she asked him to go with her to a friend's September wedding, at which she was a bridesmaid. He spent the service sitting with a sculptor, Tenten's best friend, whose extreme personality set Neji on edge, though he enjoyed the view of Tenten in her fancy, pearl pink bridesmaid gown.

He was intrigued by Doctor Sakura Haruno and her new husband, Sasuke Uchiha. The pair seemed so unlikely; Sakura was so perky, for one thing, while Sasuke was the brooding type, who face remained straight throughout the day but could not manage to remove his intense eyes from his wife for more than three seconds at a time. Clashing personalities, pure affection. The thought was reinforced when Neji realized that Sasuke's best man was no other than the loudmouthed Naruto Uzumaki. The two seemed the most unlikely friends in the world, yet Neji saw Sasuke actually smirk when the grinning blond passed him Sakura's ring.

There were only two disturbances of the day: the first was that Lee left just after the ceremony, saddening the bride. Tenen later explained that Sakura and Lee had dated in college, Lee had fallen in love with her, and Sakura had only thought she'd fallen in love with him. The collision of his passion for making himself stronger with Sakura's for making _other _people stronger had ended it. While they were still friends, Lee wasn't too keen on seeing her marry Sasuke, his polar opposite.

The second incident involved the bridal party's car being mobbed by paparazzi at the reception hall door due to the participation of supermodel Ino Yamanaka, who was Sakura's maid of honor and whose face was scattered in store windows and on billboards around the city. Apart from those, the wedding was problem-free, and Neji had the added bonus of getting Tenten out of her dress later on.

They knew very little fighting, if only because both were used to accommodation in their professions. Neji was irked and amused in turn with her chronic untidiness, just as Tenten felt a little out of place at his beautifully organized condo. They eventually compromised that she would keep at least her bedroom decently near if he didn't insist on running to correct it every time she draped her jacket over the back of a chair or left the hand cloth on the sink instead of the towel bar. This Neji reluctantly agreed to.

* * *

In November, the time for Tenten's government form completion drew near. Neji still had not breached the subject of her parents. Hell, he hadn't even seen any pictures of a younger Tenten with a parent-like couple at her apartment. When he asked Shikamaru what a good method of obtaining the information might be, the engaged attorney was understandably irritated that Neji had omitted it at the start.

"Well, it's just her parents' names, maybe some medical history. What's the big deal?"

"Tenten never mentions them," confided Neji. "I'm sure they must have died."

"Not to be insensitive," said Shikamaru over the upright lid of his laptop computer, "but this _is _New York." At Neji's scowl, he gave a long-suffering sigh. "All right, sorry. I have a contact. There's a painless alternative to asking her."

"I'd do it, I'd ask her," Neji persisted, as though he couldn't get beyond the fact that he hadn't, "but we've hardly seen each other in the last month. Between her meetings and mine…we're having dinner on Sunday."

Shikamaru's eyebrow rose at his uncharacteristic rambling. "But her paperwork's due tomorrow, so you don't have time for a private chat. And you don't have to justify yourself to me, Hyuuga." He reached for the phone. "Let me make a call."

The "painless alternative" was a woman named from Hana Inuzuka, who wore her light brown hair short and spiky, along with ripped jeans and a T-shirt that bore the words: _Why, yes, I AM a lesbian. _She was, according to her self-introduction—

"—the most mad-skilled hacker on this half of the States!"

Neji pierced Shikamaru with a wary glance. "And that would be…because you haven't been caught?"

She laughed way too loudly. "Nah, been caught, but my bro's on the NYPD. He puts in a good word for me. I'm just awesome!"

"She can get into Columbia U's employee database," Nara pointed out.

Neji turned disapproving eyes to him. "Tell me you haven't used her 'abilities' to get evidence for a case."

"_No_." Affronted, Shikamaru slouched, his hands in his pockets. "Just to find people who _have _evidence."

Feeling uncertain, a rare occurrence, he led the hacker to his office, where she could use his computer. In less than an hour, he had two named. To the right of both on Columbia's list was one word – _deceased_.

* * *

Neji went to Tenten's place with more than a little anxiety. He was an orphan himself but had been raised in his uncle's family, so he had never been alone the way Tenten seemed to be. It bothered him that perhaps he didn't understand her the way he thought he had.

When he went inside via the key she had presented them with one month after their first night together, he was as close to being stunned as he ever had been in his life. The living room/kitchen area – which had always been demeaned with stacks of dishes or baskets of laundry or books Tenten meant to read or movies she meant to watch – was entirely spotless. Not a DVD was out of place on the TV shelf (upon closer inspection, Neji saw that were alphabetized, which _he _did not go so far to do), and even her ottoman was aligned with the sofa it matched.

Not only that, there was a delicious scent pervading the apartment, and he spied a dish of baked chicken in the oven and mixed vegetables on the stove. At her tiny dining table were two sat candles waiting to be lit between the twin place settings and a bottle of bubbly chilling to the side.

Neji passed a hand down his face, the anxiety transforming into pure guilt. Hanging his jacket on her coat rack (no longer bogged down with twenty different items but only four or five autumn coats), he moved down the hall to hear Tenten humming a tune from the musical he'd taken her to weeks ago, before their schedules had divided them.

She wore a denim skirt and violet scoop-necked sweater he hadn't seen before, and he watched as she dabbed on perfume in her equally immaculate vanity. Her hair was down and curled. Glancing at the bed, he could have groaned. Neji glimpsed the top right corner of a sheet that was new and satin – _satin_.

Tenten caught sight of him in the vanity mirror, a smile instantly adding a light to her face that the sparkling crystal earrings she wore could not. "Oh, hey, I didn't hear you come in."

"This is what you were doing yesterday while I was at court?" Had there been any more inflection in his tone, Neji might have sounded flabbergasted while she nodded. "What can the occasion be?"

"Not that I'd expect you to remember – it's a girl thing, I guess – but it's been three months since the day you asked me out." Giving a fluff to her newly voluminous hair, she turned on one high heel to meet him halfway across the room. "It's the longest I've ever been with someone, so I figured it was worth celebrating." She wound her arms about his neck.

He accepted the kiss, enjoyed it even, but let his hands rest on her waist and no further. "You didn't have to waste your day off."

"Are you kidding?" Laughing, she moved past him, her perfume enticing Neji as she went by. "I found five pairs of shoes I forgot I owned, the curling iron I used to do this," another hair fluff, "still in the box, the protection plan for my computer. I dressed up because you always look so nice when you get off work. And I called Ino. She talked me through the salad I made." He followed her back to the kitchen area, where she pulled a green-filled bowl from the refrigerator. "Ta-da! She claims the dressing is thirty calories to the gallon, but I think she's living a lie."

His gut was twisting. "Tenten, you didn't put yourself out very much, did you?"

"No, dear, I had a good time with it. I've never been much of a cook, so it was a learning experience." She paused after dropping a pair of tongs into the salad to stick a postcard she'd noticed on the marble-topped island to the fridge with a magnet. "Lee's next show date; I think he's been doing stuff with limestone. I _do _admit to calling Sakura – only once! – in desperation about the cheesecake I made for dessert."

"You made cheesecake?"

"With strawberry topping on one half and cherry on the other because I know you told me you didn't like one but I couldn't remember which. The chicken was the easiest part, believe it or not." As if on cue, the stove timer buzzed. "And it's ready! Nice timing, Neji."

His mouth grew thin as she slipped on a pair of oven mitts and retrieved the tray from the oven. As she was transferring chicken breast to their plates on the table, Neji ventured to ask, "Why all of this? The wine, the dinner, the…the spring cleaning in November?"

The smile she gave him as she added her vegetables and a basket of bread was almost shy. "Because as cliché as it sounds, these last few months have been some of the happiest I've had in a long, long time."

Neji was incredulous. No wonder she was talking a mile a minute; it was one of her habits to ramble when she was in a particularly good mood. He took her in as she turned to him in a wordless signal that everything was ready; expressive eyes, soft hair, scatterbrain, talent, skin he knew every inch of, and a passionate identity he desperately wanted to – that was Tenten.

"I have to tell you something," he said suddenly.

Oh God, Neji realized even as he spoke, he loved her.

"What is it?"

And because he loved her, he had to be honest with her, even if it meant he didn't get the dinner, the satin sheets – hell, even if it meant he didn't get _her_.

Walking forward, he took her hands and found them warm from the oven tray. He couldn't quite meet her eyes. "I completed the paperwork for the state department today."

Tenten tilted her head. "That's good. That means you're looking at the newest addition to the armaments group on New York's payroll! I can probably afford that glassware set now, the one we saw at Crate & Barrel, remember?"

"Tenten." Locking gazes with her, Neji gripped her fingers more tightly. "I needed to look up your parents' names."

The smile vanished. It was as though someone had waved their hand and made it disappear. Judging by the way she went stonily quiet, her hands falling out of his, it would take magic to bring it back. "Neji…I never gave you my—"

"I know. I…I didn't want to trouble you by asking about them." This was absolutely true.

"Well then, how exactly did you go about getting them?" The sparkle of her earrings seemed almost sharp now, like he could be cut by it.

Neji confessed the events of the day, how Hana Inuzuka had broken into her work's mainframe for a check of fifty dollars. Throughout the recounting Tenten leaned against the island, toying with one still-empty salad plate, her features as neutral as she could make them.

"And," she said once he had finished, "you saw no positive aspect in calling one of my friends? At least _trying_ with me again?"

"I know our time's been limited lately. I didn't want to ruin what we did have."

Her eyes clouded in seconds. "Why, because I might not have fucked you?"

"No!" Shocked, he reached for her. Tenten took one step back and he was effectively halted. "I merely—"

"You don't think I _realize _that we have sex every time we go home together? What's ridiculous, Neji, is that's the only half of the original 'clause' to this relationship."

His brow furrowed. "What—"

"I told you, Neji! You asked me if I had any conditions to us being together, and what did I say?" Tenten's hands curled into fists at her sides. "I said I would still like some privacy."

"But your job, Tenten." Groping for reasons, he fell short.

"Fine! I don't like talking about my parents, true, but that's a good reason for it." Eyes blazing, her volume rose. "My parents were shot to death on a walk through the park when I was fifteen. Isn't that what you wanted to know? Now you know!"

He was very close to pleading. "Either I did what I did or you'd miss your chance with the state department."

She only threw up her hands, too angry for words, beginning to pace the short space between the counter and the island. "You _hacked _into my _confidential files_. I'm obligated now to tell Columbia about the breach."

"Tenten, I had to make a choice."

At that, she stopped short. This time when he saw her eyes, he found them not only fuming but also brimming with tears. "I see." Her voice was beginning to shake, and he felt as though she'd punched him in the stomach. Swallowing, Tenten tried again, speaking steadily this time. "Love or law, right, Neji?"

The punch became a puncture. "Tenten…"

"Well." Marching past him, she unchained and unbolted the door, yanking it open and holding it that way. Her posture went ramrod straight. "You chose."

Neji breathed deeply. He wanted to say a mountain's worth of things, but none so much as the thing she was very clearly denying him now. Stepping gingerly, as though the recently polished floor might crack beneath his feet, he proceeded to the other side of the threshold.

He expected a last exclamation, something dramatic that he could turn over in his head all week, but Tenten said nothing. She only slammed the door shut. Neji stood there only for half a minute before very stoically turning around and beginning toward the elevator.

The door to her apartment opened again, and he whirled around, hoping she might have experienced a last-second change of mind—

Instead, he saw only his jacket sailing toward him, and then the door was once more closed and the chain was being slid back into place.

New York City seemed desolately dark and quiet that night.

_To Be Continued_


	6. Love or Law

**Author's Notes: **And thus, we come to the end of this story. Thanks to all of those who have been reading and will read. I hope you enjoyed it! So everyone knows, there are still stories to come for the New York Society series, which means Neji and Tenten will be popping up again one way or another.

Happy reading!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and am making no profit from this fan fiction

**Venus or Themis**

Part Six: Love or Law

By Nessie

A Styrofoam cup of mint tea purchased in the lobby of the black-tie art gallery heated Tenten's left hand. The right rested on her slightly cocked hip as she looked at one of Lee's newly showcased works, moseying around the pedestal that held it and sipping.

Sweeping a glance around the gallery, she noted an assortment of fellow viewers; it seemed anyone claiming an affinity for the fine arts had shown up. There was a slim, brunette transvestite fawning over another elevated sculpture and a German rock star trying to brush limestone dust from his silk tie. Tenten wore black leather boots that rose to mid-calf over vibrant red tights. A cream wool sweater dress topped off the ensemble. Her hair was parted into its customary two-bun fashion. Chic and comfortable, she appeared to be only one of the many art appreciators attending the highly-anticipated Rock Lee showing.

Except, of course, Lee himself kept bounding over to ask her opinion on whichever item she happened to be viewing at the moment.

"Lee," she eventually snapped, after he had demanded she tell him what she thought of _this _one. "The only thing I know about this stuff is where to aim a bullet to pulverize it in one hit." But the sculptor was not dissuaded.

She knew his intentions, of course. Since her breakup with Neji, Lee had taken it upon himself to assure that Tenten did not dwell on the matter too much. She held a certain degree of appreciation for her best friend's efforts, but Lee was at the top of his game, both romantically and professionally, and it was not easy being comforted by someone who could not relate.

"Well," Lee tried again, "if you see anything you like, let me know, and I'll have it shipped to your place by Tuesday."

"Limestone would clash with my décor, Lee."

"Just wait then, I'm using jade next. Speaking of décor, there's someone here I think you should meet!" He had effectively ruined her sense of anonymity. Leading her by the hand, Lee brought her over to a woman whose back was turned to them, her straight black hair pulled elegantly back. He called a greeting. "Hinata!"

The woman turned, shining hair swinging. She wore a dark blue dress, long-sleeved to fight the January chill. Her body was trim, neat, her posture not quite straight. Her fingers linked and unlinked continuously; she was so pretty Tenten thought she had no real reason to be nervous. But above all, Tenten noticed her eyes – the very same as...

"Tenten, this is Hinata Hyuuga."

Hinata produced a timid smile even the arms consultant dazedly extended a hand for shaking. "Tenten Long," she murmured, "isn't that right?"

She could hardly speak while looking to the female face of her ex-boyfriend after two and a half months of zero contact. "Yes, that's...yes."

"I believe you know my cousin."

She had believed the same, once. "I..."

"Hinata's the one who designed my loft's interior," Lee broke in jubilantly. "I never knew there were so many shades of green before I hired her!"

"Sounds romantic," Tenten murmured, the words echong in her cup as she took another drink.

Hinata instantly went red. "That's not..."

"Stop spreading your bitterness," Lee cheerfully ordered through his now-clenched grin. "Anyway, you two should talk while I finish the rounds." He sprang off.

The two women stood awkwardly. Tenten felt sorry for Hinata with her obvious timidity and smiled. "Lee's certainly a character. How did you manage to figure him out enough to decorate his home?"

Her pale eyes lowered. "I admit it's outside of my usual style," said the Hyuuga woman quietly. "It's rather loud and...I suppose...flamboyant, but Mr. Lee says he likes it."

Mr. Lee. Tenten almost grinned. Hinata was probably younger than her by about a year, but she carried a childlike innocence; one didn't see much of that anymore. "You know, Hinata, I've been considering redecorating myself. I could use your expertise."

Hinata smiled softly. "Neji told me you have a nice apartment–" She cut herself off by clamping both hands over her mouth. "I'm – I'm – I'm so sorry!" she stammered hurriedly, clearly humiliated. "It's just...Neji and I spoke...at my father's house on New Year's – and..."

Tenten felt better knowing there was at least one less woman in the world who spent Christmas and New Year's Day alone. "You talked? What about?" She tried to sound as un-offended as possible.

Hinata now seemed nervous beyond recovery. "Only...I heard he was seeming someone, so I asked him about you."

Tenten's chuckle was devoid of any mirth. "Did he tell you I'm a mess?"

"No, not at all!" exclaimed the young designer. "That's what was so strange. Neji never spoke of his relationships before that time." Her lovely eyes went to her toes, then back to Tenten. "But with you, he...he said so _much_ to me. He could hardly stop talking about you."

She was beginning to feel very warm; Tenten wasn't a crier but the warning signs of tears were swiftly encroaching. "He really messed up, Hinata." Staring at a cube-like limestone work, Tenten folded in the arm that didn't hold her tea. "I guess I should've predicted it – the most reputed lawyer in New York City? It's his job to be clevr, even sneaky. Trusting him is–"

"You _can _trust him!" Hinata protested in defense of her cousin. "Neji simply isn't very good at doing things in the kind way. But he always does them for the right reasons."

"I assume you know that he paid someone to hack my file where I used to work?"

"It was wrong," conceded Hinata. "But...Miss Long...did you think that...perhaps Neji only did that for your sake?"

Tenten's eyes flew to hers. "I don't think..."

"We were raised to be honest, Miss Long. Actually, my father used the word 'honor' quite frequently." Hinata's fingers were busy again, her pale cheeks darkening with embarrassment. "Um...Neji mentioned you didn't prefer to speak of hr parents. Neji doesn't really like to speak of his, either. So maybe...he only did that so he wouldn't have to see you in pain."

Tenten's mouth had dropped open. "Hinata..."

"It sounds selfish. But I think he was being selfish for _you, _Miss Long."

Her mind was racing. The torn expression she had seen on Neji's face the last time she'd been with him was imprinted there. Suddenly, unbearable guilt threatened to swamp her.

"KAKASHI!"

The two women looked over at the commotion to see a man in a green suit pointing accusingly at a black-suited man with a contrastingly dispassionate face. At their feet was an overturned cup and a suspicious puddle on the hardwood floor.

"You spilled my coffee on purpose, Kakashi!" shouted the Lee-like man Tenten knew to be Maitou Gai.

"Actually, I did," admitted Kakashi Hatake, whom she only recognized from several _Times_ articles hailing him as a star architect bordering on legendary. "I'm convinced you don't need any more caffeine than the amount you seem to produce on your own."

As though this were the highest of insults, Gai tried to demean him. "But you have _desecrated _this lovely structure!"

"I designed this building," Kakashi quipped cheerfully. "So thanks."

Visibly tensing, Gai sprung loose. "I will _sue_ you!"

"For spilling your coffee? If you must. I have good representation."

It took Lee himself to placate both men. Tenten watched in amusement, explaining the two architects' rivalry to Hinata before asking for her card.

Hinata recognized the tone of farewell. "It's supposed to be bad weather tomorrow – a lot of snow." Smiling gently, Hinata said, "Be careful, Tenten."

From the sudden loss of formality, Tenten knew the request went beyond weather warnings. "Thank you."

* * *

There were times Tenten considered leaving New York City, cashing in her savings, and moving West. The most awful snowstorm she had seen since childhood was one such time.

However, she knew that she had a larger chance of surviving a blizzard than an earthquake (she was very susceptible to motion sickness) and as she had never lived anywhere other than New York, the farthest West she would probably make it would be New Jersey.

So when the power zapped out just as she was microwaving a plate of leftovers for dinner, she abandoned her visions of white beaches and seagulls and accepted instead the dozen stalled and honking cabs at the intersection her apartment building stood beside.

At least she had already warmed her hot chocolate. Finding her flashlight, Tenten drank as she set out and lit candles all around the main sitting area where she had fought with Neji. As she set flame to a long stick of wax but the window, she saw a phantom image of herself in the reinforced glass – a woman with shadow-darkened hair, the angles of her face thrown into sharp relief, the mouth unsmiling. Tenten did not need a reflection accentuated with billions of snowflakes to tell her that she was unhappy.

Flopping down in her armchair, she reached for one of the many unread books on the lamp stand to her right, but it stayed closed in her lap. She rubbed her slippered feet together, the winter nightgown she wore providing enough heat, but still she felt cold.

_Oh, God_, Tenten thought. Her body temperature was trying to be a metaphor! Truth be told, she was in love with Neji Hyuuga. It was a very simple realization, one that had probably occurred when she was so carefully placing strawberries and cherries atop a cheesecake – no labored breathing, no frantic phone calls (not that a phone call would even be possible now, considering the current circumstances). It was just...Neji had, like any she'd dated, had his moments. Moments of tenderness (he used to brush a hand over the back of her neck just as she slipped into bed), moments of passion (he had once stormed in and jerked her toward him for a kiss before hello was even an option); moments of what she had imagined had been love (he would stared at her, just stare...like nothing else he might have seen truly existed).

For a second, Tenten wished her power would come back on so she might call him. Might.

Banishing the wistfulness, she flipped open the novel. Tenten was asleep by page five.

When she woke up again, the first thing she noticed was that the marshmallows had dissolved into a layer of pale foam on her no-longer-hot chocolate. The second was that her door was being ferociously pounded upon.

Blearily, she half-staggered to the door and didn't think twice when she saw a flash of black hair – must have been Lee, hopefully with food because she was _starving_.

When the door was opened, storm lights from the corridor spilled across the first few feet of her apartment and glimmered in Neji's snowy eyes.

Still half-asleep, Tenten started to lift a hand toward his. As she gradually became more alert, the hand fisted and returned to her side. "What the hell, Neji? It's the middle of the night during a _blizzard_!"

He blinked. Tenten assumed her doze-husked voice did not manage the threatening tone she'd be trying for. "No, it's only eleven o' clock. But you're right about the blizzard."

So she'd only been sleeping for half an hour? Damn. Stepping back, she waited for him to enter. Neji hesitated.

"You're letting me in?" he asked, gaze narrowed warily.

"The heat isn't on in the hall. It's cold out there." As though this was still his fault, she arched her eyebrows until he was in and the door was shut. The air surrounding them was as charged as on the night she had kicked him out. "What is it? What's that?"

Neji held up the plastic, soggy sacks she had eyed. "Dinner. It...well, it's probably cold. My taxi was caught in the traffic jam four blocks down, so I had to walk the rest of the way."

"You walked four blocks?" Tenten threw a hand gesture toward the snow-ravaged windows. "In _this_?"

He said nothing to that. Under the weight of his intense stare, Tenten felt exposed even in the unsteady, dim light the many candles emitted. To stave off her growing apprehension, she tossed her hand back and launched a preemptive strike.

"Are you _absolutely insane_?"

"It's not as though I waited for the storm announcement before coming over. Shikamaru and I were in court all day, and I was already in the cab on my way here before the driver turned on the radio."

"So the dinner..." She shrugged, waiting for him to supply.

"Was to win your forgiveness. You usually wait so long to eat, and I estimated you'd be without electricity before you began to think about it."

The utmost truthfulness and professionalism with which he said this – just like an attorney – blended with just a touch of characteristic arrogance was nearly enough to make Tenten smirk, but she held her mirth at bay. Just looking at him was enough to relive the hurt she'd felt when he had last been here. Shaking her head a little, she sighed. "Lee had to come eat here that day, Neji. I couldn't put all that food away."

"I know. He mentioned it to me cousin. Hinata told me."

Oh, Lee was _such_ an _ass_! "What makes you think my forgiveness can be won with food?"

"I've also calculated the potentiality that you will require coffee, jewelry, a puppy, an expensive firearm, or groveling."

The mental image that accompanied the latter had her biting her lip to keep from cracking up. "You would never grovel."

"I would; but I confess my hope that you'll decide on one – or all, if you must – of the other options." Neji's brow furrowed, as though he had seen the same image and was disturbed by it.

His bluntness made Tenten feel merciful. "All right...jewelry."

For the first time since he had arrived, the locked set of Neji's posture visibly relaxed. "Well chosen." Fishing in his coat pocket, he pulled out a very small, black velvet-covered box. "I happen to have that."

The blood drained in a rush from Tenten's face. As far as predicting the outcome of the current situation went, her imagination had fallen very short of _this_. "Neji..."

He slowly stepped toward her. "I know you think I'd take my job over our relationship, Tenten. I wouldn't."

Now was when the labored breathing began, the arms consultant realized.

"I don't want," he continued softly, "to have to choose between love and the law. If I have to decide anything, I would easily decide to be with you over not being with you."

The right was gorgeous; not huge and capable of putting out an eye like Sakura's, but subtle and more reasonable, shining like fire in the candlelight.

She found she couldn't speak for lack of air.

"I know we only met six months ago," Neji conceded. "If you don't want to answer now, that's fine. I'm very patient."

Tenten's eyes widened. "_I'm_ not! I'm scared you'll be like Shikamaru – did you know he and Temari haven't set a date?" She grabbed his hand. "I don't want to take forever to get married!"

Neji's face was drawn in confusion, as though she had flown directly over his head and he couldn't figure out how. "So...we _are_ getting married?"

She laughed, her air passage perfect now. "Yes!" Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him, getting emotional when he pulled her closer. "I thought falling in love with him was the worst idea in the world," she confided.

The lawyer's lips quirked. "Thank you. I think getting you to marry me is the best."

She fully agreed.

As Neji took the engagement ring from the box and slipped it onto her left, Tenten's light flickered on.

Grinning at him, she made a suggestion. "Should we pack up the candles?"

"Why would we?" Going to the light-switch, Neji cast them back into near darkness. Catching hold of her, Tenten let out a girlish giggle as he swept her neatly over both arms. She held on as he carried her into the pitch black of her bedroom.

And when he tripped on an empty shoe box, she heard him declare: "When we're married, I am designating a daily clean-up time."

Tenten only laughed at that. _He _would not, after all, be the one laying down the law.

**The End**


End file.
